That's the one word that describes what took place at Rockwood Field Saturday night in the state Division I softball final.

Two strikeout artists engaged in the ultimate classic pitcher's due and reigning state Division I champion King Philip repeated following a 1-0 victory over Amherst Regional.

King Philip finished 26-0. Amherst closed at 23-2.

Emma Mendoker lost her no-hitter and the game during a wild sixth inning. Twice, she was one strike away from getting out of the inning.Following two quick strikeouts, Meg Rico broke up the no-hitter and perfect game with a base hit to right. Jenn Robbillard reached on a bunt single and Alyssa Siegmann was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

With two strikeouts on her, Meg Carnase hit a fly ball to shallow center. Athena Donta came in and got her glove on the ball, but she slipped and the ball popped out of her glove and three runners came around to score.

But one of the runners missed third and following an appeal by Amherst, two runs were taken off the board and King Philip held a 1-0 lead.

The way Rico was pitching, that was all the Warriors needed. She struck out the side in the top of the seventh to finish the game with 19 strikeouts.

Mendoker got her 1,000th career strikeout in the sixth inning after she fanned Caitlyn McCarthy. She accomplished that milestone in only three seasons pitching at Amherst and finished with nine strikeouts and allowed only two hits in her final high school appearance.

Her counterpart, Rico, was brilliant. She twice worked out of jams and left Amherst runners stranded at third base by coming up with big strikekout pitches.

This was a rare time when two pitchers with 300 strikeouts opposed one another.

Mendoker lost her no-hit bid in the sixth inning. Rico reached on a two-out single and Robbillard was safe on a bunt single.

With two strikes on her, Siegmann was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Mendoker got two strikes on Meg Carnase, but she was able to bloop a ball to medium center.

Athena Donta charged hard and got her glove on the ball. But she slipped as she made the catch and the ball popped out of her glove.

Initially, three runs came home, but two were taken off board after Amherst successfully appealed that a runner had missed third.

"We're disappointed, but this team played so well all season,'' Mendoker said.

The Hurricanes threatened again in the fourth inning. But once again, they came up empty.

"We just missed our opportunities,'' Amherst coach Kacey Schmitt siad. With one out, Mendoker took a Rico change-up deep to center for a one-out double after the King Philip pitcher struck out 10 straight batters.

Brittany Deres struck out and when the throw back to the pitcher sailed into center, Mendoker third to take third.

]But the throw from centerfielder Alyssa Siegmann was on traget and Anna Kelly tagged Mendoker at third for the final out of the inning to keep the game scoreless.

Amherst had runners on second and third in the first inning, but could not score. Diaz-Patterson, singled, stole second and took third on a bunt single by Simone Frank.

But Rico reared back and struck out the next three batters with some serious heat to escape the jam.

SOFTBALL SLANTS: Emma Ayers and Simone Frank sang the national anthem before the game . . . Mendoker needed only seven pitches to retire the side in the third inning and then in the fifth, she struck out the side..